Subvert the Dominant Paradigm

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The Odd One Out

Hello Friends,

In an effort to keep these ramblings of mine focused on our reality, I recognize the need to be pragmatic about what we are doing here. The Living Revolution won’t always be about reading a blog, sharing a potluck, or having an longwinded, intellectual sparring match on Friday Nights. Eventually, we are going to start living and practicing what we believe. Eventually, we will transpose our thoughts into action, and we will create change in the world around us by behaving differently. Eventually, our diversity, desire and dedication will undermine the dominant paradigm, and we will recognize the part we play in making the world a better place to live. But first, something else must happen.

Before we reap the rewards of creative, forward thinking, we will be ridiculed. Before we reap the rewards of positive, life-altering change, we must endure the struggle to define ourselves. Before we shout our proclamations and revelations in the streets, we must share them quietly with confidants. Before we can re-invent who we are as individuals, we will endure the shame that will be heaped on us by people who cannot fathom living outside the constraints of the safety bubble of modern society. Because we consciously choose to think, talk, and behave differently, we will be ostracized. There are always consequences when challenging the dominant paradigm.

Some of us aren’t ready for that, for whatever reason. And some of us will never be ready for that commitment. Some of us will never be able to manifest a cognitive process in physical reality. And some of us don’t believe any kind of real change will ever take place, because our opposition just seems so big and nasty and powerful, and how could we really ever alter that? This kind of thinking is the crack in our collective armor, and I don’t know how to address it.

On the other hand, some of us are already living parts of our beliefs. Some of us are pursuing our dreams, taking risks to do what we love, pushing boundaries and reaping the benefits. Some of us thrive on being the “odd one out”, because we understand and appreciate the process of thinking for ourselves, and we recognize how this separates us, in so many ways, from the larger mass of humanity. We constantly test what we believe, we constantly test our relationships, we constantly push ourselves to think critically and creatively about the world around us, because we know these actions and processes keep a fire burning inside us. Our desire is to live life because we know it is all we really have.

So, which one are you? Where is your head at right now? Step back and check out your life today, and see if there are places where your thoughts and beliefs might not be matching up with your actions. Where is the disconnect taking place? What gives you life today? What is sucking your soul away? What can you do to change these situations so they benefit you and the people around you? How willing are you to be the “odd one out”?